The present invention relates to a seating device with reduced bulk, for example for an aircraft.
In the aeronautical sector, some so-called “low-cost” airlines seek to increase the number of passengers transported on each flight, and more particularly on short-haul links, in order to maximize the return on the use of the aircraft.
To that end, and by using the same aircraft or an aircraft of similar capacity, the number of seats in the cabin must be increased.
In all cases, this increase in the number of seats is achieved to the detriment of the comfort of the passengers.
In effect, to increase the number of cabin seats, the space allotted to each passenger must be reduced.
However, this reduced comfort remains tolerable for the passengers in as much as the flight lasts only one or a few hours.
According to a first solution aiming to increase the number of cabin seats, it is possible to reduce the seating width allotted to each passenger in order to place an additional seat in the width of the cabin.
This first solution has already been pursued, and it is now no longer possible to further reduce the seating width, particularly in economy class.
According to a second solution aiming to increase the number of cabin seats, it is possible to reduce the distance available between two seats, that is to say the distance needed for the legs of the passenger.
This second solution has also been pursued hitherto, and it is difficult to continue to further reduce this distance between the seats because of the increase in the average size of the passengers.
According to a third solution aiming to increase the number of cabin seats, the design of the seats has to be optimized so that they present the smallest possible bulk.
This third solution has also been pursued by the engineers of the aeronautical sector.
While developing these three solutions aiming to increase the number of cabin seats, the engineers became aware that it was becoming increasingly difficult for the passengers to access the seating places located at the end of a row of seats, on the window side.
This access difficulty is mainly due to the reduced distance between two seats, and more specifically to the reduced distance between the seating of a first seat and the backrest of another seat situated in front of the first.
Also, the difficulty in accessing the seating places situated at the end of a row also stems from the presence of the armrests.
Also, to remedy such access difficulties, it is common practice, in an aircraft or in other people transport means, to provide seats with armrests and a seating that can be raised, that is to say rotationally mounted so as to be able to be retracted upwards towards the backrest of the seat.
This known solution meets its limits when seeking to increase the number of seats in an aircraft cabin.
In practice, despite the many enhancements made to the aircraft seats, the retracted-up seating still has a certain thickness which remains cumbersome for access to the seating places situated at the end of a row, on the window side.
Furthermore, since the backrest of the seats with raisable armrests and seating remains fixed, it does not make it possible to free up any access to the seating places situated behind.